upcoming
may 8 —rsvp
Nannie Helen Burroughs inaugural conference
poet, performer
5109 Nannie Helen Burroughs Avenue, Washington DC
jun 1 — rsvp
howlin': writing blues poetry
instructor, curriculum specialist, performer
DC Public Library, Washington DC
may 9 —rsvp
writing poetry inspired by quilting
instructor, curriculum specialist
Politics and Prose Bookstore, Washington DC
jun 7—rsvp
of softness ft. Thu Anh Nguyen
curator, co-facilitator, performer
Eaton Hotel, Washington DC
jun 8 — rsvp
more black: a poetry workshop after BLACK(ER) exhibition
instructor, curriculum specialist, performer
DC Public Library, Washington DC
previous, selected
mar 27 —
women’s history month program
visiting writer
George Washington University, Washington DC
mar 11 —
Left is Our Language, a poetry component of freedom & resistance exhibition inspired by The 1619 Project
instructor, performer
DC Public Library, Washington, DC
dec 11, 12, & 13 —
Three days of Where We At! at National Gallery of Art
creator, instructor, curriculum specialist, performer
National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
jan 10 —
on duende and surrealism: presenting research from Spain
traveling researcher, instructor, curriculum specialist,
The Writer’s Center, Bethesda, MD
Slate
Ongoing programming by María Fernanda for artists
a poetry garden series
Join Black poets and gardeners as they discuss their creative and historic connections to the gardens in our communities.
In 2024, featured discussions centered on the Trinidad, Anacostia, and Mount Pleasant neighborhoods. In 2025, the series launched in Georgetown Heights in collaboration with the DC Preservation League.
The Hour series
Sign up on-site to share your work aloud at Politics and Prose’s newest free open mic series, created and hosted by María Fernanda! She believes that Poetry, like us, exists in many forms—spoken word, blues, performance/theatre, hip-hop, and more. Bring poems, songs, raps, monologues, positive affirmations and more!
These one-hour collective experiences explore various poetic forms and supports writers with their revision practice beyond the wide-recognized workshop style.
Let’s Write Poetry Saturdays
Poetry & Presence series
Join The American Poetry Museum for María Fernanda’s three-part lecture series celebrating poetic thought and our communities that shape it. Q&A to follow each.
Previous programming by María Fernanda for artists
Where We At! series
A series of in-gallery experiences, crafted by María Fernanda, debuted at The National Gallery of Art. Located in Gallery 77 as part of the Gallery’s exhibition Photography and the Black Arts Movement, 1955–1985, participants were invited to write poems and learn about the Black Arts Movement. The title of this program is directly inspired by Black Women Artists Inc.’s name and call, “Where We At!” (circa 1971).
honoring nikki series
This initiative finds its shape in the form of workshops, lectures, and readings honoring Nikki Giovanni’s presence in DC. Readings include curated artist and open mic readers/performers to widen the lens in which we remember.
All Events
Featured — BGIAS: Black Girls Writers Room (DMV) @ NMWA
a black girls’ poetry workshop
national museum of women in the arts
Explore generations of language in this free poetry workshop with award-winning poet María Fernanda, from DC, who invites participants to learn how to write a contrapuntal poem, a form blending two or more poems and read in multiple ways. Generative writing exercises will be inspired by excerpts of poems, in-library literary archives, and other sources. Participants will consider the many histories of a word, a name, a home, and so much more. This is for first-time writers and poetry enthusiasts alike. Note: Participants will create in-workshop poems and use them to blend; no need to bring poems already written.
Details at Black Girls in Art Spaces.
Review of event here.